Forever Friends
by Ghostwriter
Summary: HISB Zedd uses tension among Aisha's friends for his advantage.
1. Tension Among Friends

FOREVER FRIENDS

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney.

Kimberly, who was wearing a pink top and black workout shorts, jumped in the air, keeping her legs as far apart as possible and then did a back flip.

"You're lookin' good, girl," Aisha commented.

"Yeah, you're gonna be great," Trini added.

"Thanks, guys," Kimberly said. "I'm a little nervous though. I hear the competition's supposed to be really tough."

"You may be right. Stone Canyon has **great** gymnastics team," Aisha responded. "My best friend Shawna's on it." Kimberly rolled her eyes. _Not helping, Aisha_, she thought to herself.

"Just focus and do your best. Remember, it's not about winning," Trini reminded, seeing her friend's expression.

"Right," Kimberly said. Then, "Shawna? Oh, yeah! You've been talking about her nonstop. I can't wait to meet her!" Trini laughed as Kimberly punctuated her statement with a light slap to Aisha's shoulder.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see her," Aisha stated. Just then, a girl around Aisha's height, wearing a turquoise top similar to Kimberly's and white workout pants with pink flowers on the legs, with cropped brunette hair walked up.

"So, Aisha---" she began.

"Shawna, I'm so glad to see you," Aisha interrupted, giving her a hug.

"Yeah, I can tell," Shawna Hilton responded, pushing Aisha away slightly. "That's why you transferred, right?" _Really? She's going to act like she didn't abandon me?_ she thought to herself.

"You know I couldn't do anything about **that**. Mom got a job transfer. But you know, things have changed since I moved to Angel Grove."

"Did those changes include a broken finger? You never call." Kimberly and Trini looked at each other. Shawna was being really harsh. It wasn't Aisha's fault that Zedd had kept them so busy. Of course, Aisha couldn't exactly **tell** her that.

"Come on, Shawna! I try to call you! We just---keep missing each other.

"Well, whenever I call **you**, you're never home." Seeing that Aisha was becoming uncomfortable, Trini cleared her throat.

"Hi. I'm Trini and this is Kimberly," she said.

"Hi. You can call me Kim. Aisha's told us all about you," Kimberly stated, holding out her hand.

"So I see," Shawna commented coolly. _Just another thing Aisha hasn't told me about: her new best friends_, she thought to herself. She knew she was being snippy, but she didn't care. These two had stolen her best friend. There was no **way** she was going to be nice to them.

"So, um, it looks like we're both competing for the District Title, huh?" Kimberly queried.

"I'd say we'll be competing for a lot more than that," Shawna responded. Trini looked at Kimberly in confusion as the other girl glared. Kim just shrugged. She wasn't quite sure why Aisha's friend was being so rude around them.

"Shawna!" Aisha gasped. _Why is she being so rude?_ she wondered. "Guys, I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine. It---it sounds like you and Shawna have some catching up to do, so why don't Trini and I just go check on Justin and the other guys?"

"Yeah, good idea." They began to walk out of the youth center. Up on the moon, Zedd was delighted at the turn of events.

"Unfriendly friction among the Power Rangers, eh? I'll use this to my advantage. Soon those Power Pests will be split up forever…making them useless to Zordon."


	2. Hang Out

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. Okay, I know in a later season Rocky said he didn't know a lot of Spanish, but I'm changing that for my rewrites, so once in a while, he may slip into the language.

Aisha ran after her friends.

"Trini, Kim, wait!" she called, catching up with them. "I'd like her to get to know you guys." Shawna glared, but ultimately joined them. "Come on. Let's go chill out at the park for a while, okay?" The three girls looked anxiously at Shawna, who still seemed upset.

"Okay," the girl agreed.

"Great." The four girls took off. Meanwhile, at Angel Grove High, Justin, Curtis, Zane, Chris, Billy, Zack, and Tommy were working on various projects.

"Boy, I sure hope Kimberly's practice is going okay," Tommy stated.

"Me too," Zack agreed. "I'm pretty sure it's going better than **this**," he added, holding up some wood that was in the shape of a birdhouse, a **bad** birdhouse. "At the rate this is going, I'd rather be at the mall shopping with Hilary and Tina."

"I think I'd prefer working at Ernie's with Richie," Billy stated, "But I concur with your sentiments."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Mine's not quite what I expected either," Tommy agreed, holding up two pieces of wood that clacked together.

"Well, at least with yours you could say you made a director's marker," Billy commented. The others laughed.

"Or you can just throw it in the trash where it belongs, dweebs," Bulk interjected, getting in the middle of the group.

"If you're such experts in shop, why don't you give us a hand?" Justin countered.

"No way, geekoids. We're busy over **here**," Bulk responded.

"Do we even want to know?" Chris wondered in a low tone.

"Probably not," Zane responded in the same voice.

"You know, we heard about that new thing that the Power Rangers do---" he said, and then made a whooshing noise. "jetting?" The group stared at each other and Justin shook his head. _Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy_, he thought to himself. "So…we are making our own---" Bulk gestured towards the table behind him. "Jet packs."

"Uh-oh," Zane muttered.

"I'd be careful, Bulk. That doesn't sound very safe," Billy cautioned.

"With these things, we'll be able to catch up with them and then finally find out who the Power Rangers really **are**," Skull added, ignoring him. Bulk laughed.

"Yeah. Come on, Skull." The group watched as Bulk put the pack over his head. "Let's go jetting!"

"That's not where it's supposed to go," Curtis whispered with a chuckle. Zane laughingly shushed him. Bulk and Skull left as the group laughed.

"Man, those two never give up," Chris commented. _If they only knew_, he thought to himself. Minutes later, Bulk and Skull were in the park.

"Come on, Skull. Let's fire them up." They put the packs over their heads and pressed the buttons. The engines roared, propelling them forward and they ran through the park until they fell into a hay pile.

"I told you, Bulkie, we shoulda read the directions." Bulk just glared. Meanwhile, Rocky and Adam were showing Jason their favorite spots in Stone Canyon as the three of them rode bikes.

"And over here, we got _Dodger's Comics_, which, according to my younger cousin, has the best comic books," Adam said. "I, on the other hand, prefer the Stone Canyon Library." Rocky and Jason laughed.

"So, do you guys miss this place a lot?" Jason questioned.

"A little," Adam replied. "But it's been totally worth it," he added.

"Oye, it got me and my siblings out of the neighborhood. That's all I care about," Rocky declared.

"Oh, rough place, huh?" Jason questioned.

"Well, let's put it this way, if Zedd ever decides to go back on his evil Ranger kick, he'd have plenty of pickings," Rocky responded. Then, "Come on! I wanna show you the ice cream place!" Adam and Jason looked at each other and then laughed.

"Only Rocky," Adam commented, and they hurried after him. Back in Angel Grove Park, Kimberly, Aisha, Shawna, and Trini were sitting at a table. Kimberly and Shawna had changed out of their practice clothes and it regular clothes.

"So, um, how long have you guys known each other?" Kimberly wondered after a bit of uncomfortable silence, flipping her hair back.

"I think we met in second grade," Aisha replied after thinking a moment.

"No! We've known each other since the **first** grade! I can't believe you don't remember," Shawna told her.

"So I'm off a year," Aisha said. "It doesn't change our friendship," she continued, touching Shawn's arm.

"Seems like it has," Shawna said, obviously hurt. Kimberly and Trini stared at each other uncomfortably. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Kimberly looked at Shawna and was surprised to see something besides hurt: jealousy and desperation. _Why does she look like that? Unless…_the Pink Ranger's eyes widened as the thought trailed off. Could it be? If so, she knew **exactly** what the other girl was going through.

"I'll speed this breakup by capturing the Pink Ranger **and** Shawna!" Zedd determined.

"Do you really expect the Rangers to fall apart if you kidnap one of their own as well as a civilian?" Goldar queried.

"Of course they'll apart! They'll no longer cooperate with each other leaving me free to take over the world!" Zedd roared. _How dare he? He knows that plans always work! At least, they __**would**__ if he wouldn't constantly louse them up!_ he seethed to himself. Goldar saw Zedd pulsating in a reddish glow, but said nothing. With a huff, Zedd waved Goldar away, and the monkey disappeared. At the park, the girls sat in uncomfortable silence. Kimberly was just about to ask Shawna about her hypothesis, when suddenly, there was a booming laugh. With a gasp, they all stood up, the Rangers pulling Shawna in between them.

"Oh, my gosh! That's the monster I saw on the news!" Shawna gasped.

"Just stay between us, Shawna. Okay?" Kimberly instructed. Goldar charged at them, only to be kicked back by Trini and Kimberly.

"Where are the Power Rangers?" Shawna wondered.

"Yes. You'd think they'd be here, wouldn't you?" Goldar questioned with a mocking laugh. Trini and Kimberly shared a look while Aisha subtly checked to make sure that there were no gaps between them and Shawna. Electricity crackled from Goldar's sword and he thrust it at the girls. With a scream, they toppled to the ground.

"Ow," Kimberly whispered with a wince. _That's gonna leave a mark_, she thought to herself. Then, before they could get their bearings, Goldar transported Kimberly and Shawna away.


	3. Banding Together

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. I use a variation of a line from "Peace, Love, and Woe". Yes, the monster's powers are similar to that of Soul Stealer from my fic "Ranger Danger", but it doesn't put people in a coma.

"The disintegration of the Rangers begins. Let's see how the others feel when they discover they did **nothing**," Zedd smirked.

"Oh, no," Trini said.

"Jason, guys!" Aisha exclaimed, urgently tapping her communicator. In Stone Canyon, Rocky, Jason, and Adam stopped when they heard the call.

"Aisha, what's wrong?" Jason asked in concern.

"Goldar just kidnapped Kimberly and my best friend Shawna and I didn't even make a move to help them," Aisha reported hysterically.

"All right, Aisha. Just stay calm. Get the others. Rocky, Adam, and I will meet you at the Command Center," Jason told her.

"Right," Aisha said. She tried to raise the others but got no response.

"They must still be in the woodshop. I'll get them. You go to the Command Center," Trini instructed.

"Right," Aisha said. They looked around cautiously, and once they were sure it was clear, teleported. Trini ran into the woodshop.

"Whoa, Trini, what's wrong?" Curtis wondered. Trini hesitated.

"Uh, Curtis, why don't we take a breather?" Justin suggested, and before Zack's cousin could object, he, Zane, and Chris led him out, closing the door of the classroom.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked.

"We better get to the Command Center. Goldar just kidnapped Kimberly and Aisha's friend Shawna," Trini told them. They teleported.

"WHAT!? THEY'VE BANDED TOGETHER!?" Zedd roared, slamming a fist on the balcony. _I tried to tell you_, Goldar thought to himself. "Well then, I'll just have to make a monster to annihilate them." He aimed his staff at the Earth. The electricity enveloped a chainsaw and moments later, a monster appeared.

"Go Jaws Of Destruction! Go and zap the life out of Angel Grove!" The monster went out in search for victims. In their prison, Kimberly and Shawna glanced at the Putties nervously. The creatures gurgled unintelligibly.

"What if we don't get out of here? They're probably gonna kill us," Shawna said fearfully, looking around at the strange creatures. _Somebody get me out!_ she thought.

"Don't be afraid, Shawna," Kimberly told her, taking her hand and squeezing it comfortingly. "We'll find a way out of here somehow," she continued, trying to see if she could find something that would dismantle the force field. However, there was nothing. _Maybe I should risk morphing. Aisha's gotta be really worried_, she thought to herself. And hopefully, Zordon would understand the circumstances.

"Wow. You're being so calm, Kim," Shawna noted. "I hate to admit, but…I'm impressed." _Why isn't she freaking out? Does she know something that I don't?_ she wondered.

"You're doing fine too, Shawna," Kimberly assured, with another hand squeeze. Shawna pulled away.

"I don't get it, though. Why are you being so nice to me? I was rotten to you and Trini," she said.

"Because I think I understand how you feel, that's all," the other girl stated, turning to face her. Shawna stared. What did she mean by that? "It's tough when you think you've lost someone." _What does she mean 'think'? I __**have**__ lost Aisha_, Shawna thought. "When my parents got divorced, I felt really abandoned for a long time," Kimberly continued as they sat down.

"Your parents are divorced?" Shawna queried. Kimberly nodded. "So are mine." Kimberly nodded. She had thought so. It explained why she had been acting so possessive of Aisha. "Wow. I felt that way too. Maybe I still do." She sighed. "It's just---whenever anyone close to me leaves, it always reminds me of my dad leaving," she said.

"Me too…at first," came the answer. "But you know what I discovered? My dad loves me just as much even though I don't see him all the time." They were silent for a moment. "Just because someone moves away, doesn't mean you've lost them," the Pink Ranger assured. A Putty burbled and walked in front of them. Shawna gasped and quickly grabbed Kimberly, who patted her hand reassuringly. Meanwhile, the Rangers had convened in the Command Center.

"Zordon, what can we do? Goldar's kidnapped my best friends and I feel like I've failed as a Power Ranger. I should've done more to stop him," Aisha said.

"Don't think that way. In your civilian form, he could've really hurt you if you had tried to take him on. The important thing is stay cool," Jason reminded her.

"Jason is right. No is blaming you, Aisha. You and Trini did what you could. Just remember that in times of danger, you must remain strong," Zordon added.

"Zordon's right. We may have to use all of our strength to get Kim and Shawna back. We don't know which dimension they're being held in or what kind trap Zedd may have laid out," Tommy said. "Just hang tough," Tommy said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"That's right. We've foiled Zedd's bogus schemes before, so don't worry. We're gonna stop this one too," Billy added as he did the same. Just then, the alarm blared.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi! Zedd has made a monster out of a chainsaw!" Alpha exclaimed as he ran some data on it.

"That can't be good," Jason said with some trepidation.

"Behold the viewing globe," Zordon instructed and they turned around. "The monster has been sent to destroy you and is attacking innocent people until you appear," he continued. Through the viewing globe, they saw the monster shoot a blade at someone. At the contact, the person moaned as their natural color faded and they fell to the ground. The Rangers gasped.

"Oh, no," Trini said.

"As you can see, this creature has the power to steal one's life force," Zordon told them.

"Ugh! This day has gone from bad to worse!" Aisha complained.


	4. Rescue And Friendship

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney. One weapon is from the MMPR movie, and the other two are from PRDT. Vague reference to "Missing Green". I have absolutely no knowledge of gymnastics so I apologize if things are wrong or if there's supposed to be a technical term for the routines Kimberly and Shawna do.

"Rangers, this monster is extremely dangerous. You must stop it now before it destroys Angel Grove," Zordon told them.

"But what about Shawna?" Aisha wondered.

"And Kimberly? We can't just leave her there," Tommy added.

"Tommy, you go get the girls. The rest of us will take care of the monster," Jason instructed.

"Right," Tommy agreed.

"It's morphin' time!" Jason shouted.

"Tigerzord!" Tommy called.

"Drago!" Adam hailed.

"Stega!" Aisha yelled.

"Brachio!" Rocky summoned.

"Mastodon!" Zack shouted.

"Triceratops!" Billy cried.

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Trini exclaimed.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason finished. They jetted through the air. Seeing them, Bulk and Skull scrambled to get their packs on, pressed the buttons, and ran in circles until the packs ran out of steam. When they got to their destination, the Rangers spread out to take care of the Putties that were advancing towards them. As the Rangers and Putties fought, the Jaws Of Destruction grabbed one of its blades, removed it from its body, and tossed it at them.

"GUYS, DROP!" At the Red Ranger's command, the Rangers fell to the ground. The blade hit a Putty, who made a sickly gurgling sound and collapsed in a heap. With a roar of frustration, the monster grabbed another blade and threw it. This time, it hit the Yellow Ranger. She moaned and rolled away.

"TRINI!" the Red Ranger shouted. "YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!" he grabbed his Power Sword and lunged at the creature. The Jaws Of Destruction grunted in surprise when the sword hit him. Soon, the two were in an intense battle. At the cave, the White Ranger was fighting his own group of Putties. He made quick work of them and was about to go in when Goldar suddenly appeared.

"Aw, man! Just who I don't need," the White Ranger griped.

"So, Jason sent you to do his dirty work, hey, Tommy?" Goldar taunted as he brought out his sword. Soon, there were clashes and clangs. Goldar kicked him in the chest and the White Ranger grunted.

"Giving up?"

"Yeah, right." They went at it again. Several minutes later, the gold monkey was finally felled. "Later, Goldie!" With that, the White Ranger flipped over the downed warrior who made one last attempt to grab him before he transported himself back to Zedd's palace. _Okay, the goon's gone. Now to save Kim…and Shawna_, he thought to himself.

"Hey guys, is everyone okay?" he asked, running into the cave.

"Wow! The White Ranger!" Shawna breathed. _Tommy, whoo. You made it_, Kimberly thought to herself.

"I'll have you out in a minute," the White Ranger promised. With that, he grabbed his sword and slashed at the reddish-white bars. When it was clear, Shawna ran through. Kimberly was about to follow, when the bar reappeared.

"Kimberly!" Shawna exclaimed, starting back.

"Stay back, Shawna," Kimberly warned as the White Ranger intercepted her.

"No!" Shawna exclaimed,

"Shawna, stay away from the force field!" the White Ranger cautioned.

"But I can't leave without Kimberly!" Shawna insisted.

"Alpha, teleport Shawna home right away," the White Ranger said into the frequency that only the Rangers and the Command Center could hear.

"Teleportation initiated Tommy," Alpha responded. Shawna tried to get past the White Ranger who held onto her tightly.

"It's okay, Shawna. Just stay there. He'll get me out. I know he will," Kimberly assured with a wink to the White Ranger. On the moon, Zedd was furious.

"How could you let the White Ranger beat you!? Now we don't even have any hostages! You better hope my monster destroys those Rangers!" he roared. Gold turned and rolled his eyes. _I can't believe this, but I actually miss Rita and her headaches,_ he thought to himself. Back in the cave, Shawna was still refusing to go.

"Kimberly, I can't leave without you," she said.

"Alpha, do it now," the White Ranger instructed. Almost immediately, the girl was teleported in a flash of light. Then, Kimberly morphed and destroyed the bars and the two teleported to the battle, where the Jaws Of Destruction had been steadily getting the upper hand as more and more Putties appeared. The Red Ranger was thrown back and then raised into the air, the monster's hands around his throat. He struggled against the thing, trying to get free. The Red Ranger moaned as he felt the air from his windpipe getting crushed.

"JASON!" the others shouted, trying to get through the group of Putties.

"I'm going to drain the life out of you and then slash you to ribbons," it cackled from far away.

"Oh, no you won't!" a voice cried, and the White Ranger tackled the creature, knocking it to the ground. Then, "Jase, you all right?"

"Great timing, Bro," the Red Ranger rasped.

"Where's Shawna? The Purple Ranger wondered.

"She's safe. Alpha teleported her home," the Pink Ranger assured.

"Two more of you won't make a difference. I'll still make woods chips out of you!" the Jaws Of Destruction threatened.

"Power Ax!" hailed the Black Ranger.

"Power Bow!" called the Pink Ranger.

"Power Daggers!" yelled the Yellow Ranger.

"Power Lance!" cried the Blue Ranger.

"Power Sword!" finished the Red Ranger. The White Ranger pulled out Saba, the Gold Ranger brandished his Brachio Staff, the Purple Ranger brought out her Stega Stinger, and the Silver Ranger summoned his Drago Blade. The weapons were put together, and they all fired on the monster. It roared and disintegrated. The Rangers cheered and slapped five. Later that day, the Rangers, except for Aisha, and their friends were at the Angel Grove Youth Center, which was where the District Title was being held.

"You know, I'm really glad everyone that the monster attacked went back to normal after we defeated it," Jason said in a low tone.

"Yeah. Quite a relief," Billy agreed in the same voice. Then, Bulk and Skull walked in, looking the worse for wear. The group laughed.

"Hey fellas. It, uh, looks like you really ran into the Power Rangers," Billy said. Chris and Curtis tried to stifle their laughter to no avail.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh. Everybody's a critic," Bulk shot back.

"Yeah," Skull said. "But just wait until we find out who those Rangers really are! Then **we**'**ll** be the heroes!" he continued.

"Dream on, boys," Tina told them and they all laughed and went their separate ways. Trini went up to the counter where Richie and Ernie were.

"Hey, Trini. Banana smoothie?" Richie queried.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks," Trini said with a soft smile. Angela and Aisha walked in.

"Hey, yo, Angela!" Zack called, waving. With a smile, the girl shook her head and walked up to him.

"Zack, you've gotta come up with a better way to get my attention," she told him.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Zack asked. At the counter, as she drank her smoothie, Trini noticed that Richie seemed to be trying to get up the nerve to ask her something.

"Um, Trini, would you, um, that is, uh---" he stammered.

"Richie, you don't have to be nervous. You can ask me anything," she told him. He laughed nervously and glanced back at Ernie, who just began whistling innocently and put great effort in polishing the toaster. The boy turned back to the girl.

"Trini, would you---like to go to the beach with me next week?" he queried.

"You mean, like a date?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Great!" Aisha jogged up to Kimberly, who was wearing a green jacket.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hi," her friend said.

"Shawna told me how nice you were to her. Thanks." Aisha hugged her.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me. You know what? I made a new friend too." Then, Aisha noticed the jacket as her friend folded it and put it in her bag.

"I've never seen that jacket before," she commented.

"Oh. It was Tommy's. I snagged it over a spring break because I was missing him," came the answer. Confused at the semi-sad tone, Aisha stared at Kimberly, but didn't get a chance to question her because the announcer stated that Kimberly and Shawna were next.

"Good luck. I'll cheer for the both of you," Aisha said.

"Thanks," Kimberly responded. Kimberly's routine was first, and she did some flips on the mat, and then dropped to the floor, where she did some stretches that led into a handstand and a walk. She did two more flips and then a mid-air somersault that ended in the splits.

"All right, Kim!" Kimberly grinned in pride at the sound of her boyfriend's voice. When she was finished, she rejoined her teammates on the left side of the room. Her score was nearly perfect with a 9.8, landing her in first place. Shawna went onto the floor, going into consecutive back flips. As her legs went through air, Rocky found himself staring at the firm muscles. A jolt in his side courtesy of Adam broke his reverie.

"Dude, no," Adam said.]

"What? Can I help it if she looks good?" Rocky defended.

"Aisha would kill you," Adam reminded.

"Yeah, well, I guess there is **that**," Rocky grumbled. The others laughed. Shawna did a somersault and then did two back flips, landing on her knees in triumph. Everyone clapped and cheered. Shawna joined her teammates. After a quick discussion, the judges decided: Kimberly and Shawna tied for first, both winning the trophy. The girls went up to the judges and took the trophy. Aisha ran to her friends.

"You guys were terrific," she told them.

"Thanks, Aisha. So are you," Shawna said. "You are too, Kim."

"Thanks," Kimberly said.

"I am so lucky to have friends like you," Aisha stated.

"Us too," Shawna and Kim agreed.

"And speaking as a friend Shawna, I noticed Rocky looking at you during your routine," Kimberly teased.

"He better not even think about it or I'll kill him," Aisha threatened. The three laughed and hugged.

THE END


End file.
